Hobbsan charged in November shooting death

The Hobbs Police Department arrested a Hobbs man Wednesday on accessory and conspiracy charges related to the November death of Daniel Torres at his North Selman home. Two others are charged in the case as of Thursday.

William “Billy” Martinez, 28, was charged with accessory to commit murder, a first-degree felony; conspiracy to commit murder, a second-degree felony; and also arrested on a warrant for a December charge of receiving stolen property (firearm), a third-degree felony.

Martinez was located in the 900 block of West Caprock and is being held without bond at Lea County Detention Center in Lovington, according to Hobbs police.

Hobbs police officers responded Nov. 28, 2017 to an unknown problem at the 500 block of North Selman and found Torres, 45, with an apparent gunshot wound inside a residence. Torres’ body was later sent to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for an autopsy with Hobbs police treating his death as a homicide.

“Although the investigation is on-going, detectives have learned that William “Billy” Martinez, 28 of Hobbs, Eduardo Servin, 27 of Hobbs, and 33 year old Danielle Razo, of Odessa, were involved in Torres’ death,” Hobbs police announced Thursday.

The department issued arrest warrants Wednesday for Martinez, Razo and Servin. Razo, like Martinez, is charged with accessory to commit murder, a first-degree felony; and conspiracy to commit murder, a second-degree felony. Servin is charged with accessory to commit murder and has not been located as of Thursday afternoon.

“HPD detectives contacted the Odessa Police Department who located Razo at her residence in Odessa, Texas,” the department stated. “She was placed under arrest without incident and is being held without bond awaiting extradition.”

Online jail records for Ector County, Texas, show Razo is also being held on a fugitive from justice charge by Odessa police, in addition to the warrant.

A 12-page criminal complaint filed Wednesday states police located several items inside Torres’ residence including a glass pipe, white crystalline substance, 9mm bullet casings, spent bullets and cellphones during the investigation. Investigators also found a pre-paid phone card at the house with Martinez’s name written on it.

The complaint states surveillance footage from other homes showed a “red truck circling the block multiple times” on Nov. 28 and wasn’t seen after the shooting. Police reportedly linked the truck to Servin and conducted an investigation into cellphone records. Razo is also reportedly seen talking with Torres and driving away from the residence in a vehicle before the red truck arrives about a minute later. Three men allegedly exited the truck and gunshots are heard from within the home.

“Shots can be heard in the video at 1707 (5:07 p.m.) hours on November 28, 2017 and several males were observed entering the residence prior to the shooting and exiting after the shooting. One of these men has been positively identified as Billy Martinez…” a Hobbs detective wrote.

Hobbs Police Chief Chris McCall said the investigation remains “extremely active” as of Thursday and there could be more charges coming as a result of the investigation.

“We are looking at other suspects,” he said Thursday.

“Our detective division spent an extreme number of man hours working and poring over the evidence in this case,” he later said. “They have done some tremendous work up to this point to get the investigation to this point.”

New Mexico court records show Martinez has a pending charge of aggravated battery in Fifth Judicial District Court in Lovington. Martinez was arrested in January 2017 on attempted murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and aggravated battery related to a shooting incident near Lovington Highway. Those charges were later dismissed.

Hobbs police asks for the public to contact the department at 575-397-9265 if they have any information about the case or Servin’s whereabouts. Lea County Crime Stoppers may also be contacted at 575-393-8005.